Levels of secondhand smoke in Scotland’s prisons fell by more than 80 percent in the week after smoking was banned, according to a study published in BMJ Tobacco Control.
Led by Stirling’s Institute of Social Marketing (ISM), the study is the first of its kind to examine secondhand tobacco smoke concentrations across an entire prison estate where smoking is prohibited in all establishments.
Since 2006, smoking has been banned in most enclosed public spaces in Scotland. However, prisoners continued to be permitted to smoke in their cells, with the doors closed. This situation changed on Nov. 30, 2018, when smoking was banned in all prisons in Scotland.
Despite the change in policy, experts were unsure if smoking would immediately cease as it was believed that prisoners could have stockpiled tobacco ahead of the ban.